Selected Bibliography of US Government and International Documents on Latin America and the Caribbean

Selected Bibliography of US Government and International Documents on Latin America and the Caribbean. Chella Vaidyanathan, History, Political Science, and U.S. Govt./ International Documents Librarian, University of Miami Libraries

U.S. government and international documents are valuable information resources for Area/International Studies classes. The interdisciplinary nature of information, coverage of political and global issues, and free online availability of documents is invaluable for scholarly research. Particularly, Latin America and Caribbean is of geopolitical importance to the United States. Hence, this bibliography on Latin American Caribbean government resources has been compiled to help faculty, students, and independent scholars specializing in Latin American Studies, Global Studies, International Business/Trade, etc. It would also be useful for new U.S. Government/ International Documents Librarians as well as Latin American and Caribbean Studies Librarians in teaching research consultations and library instruction sessions. This bibliography mainly concentrates on freely available online resources. They have been selected based on the credibility of the information provider, in-depth coverage of national/international issues and historical and contemporary information, availability of datasets and statistics, clear organization of information, and their significance for Area /International/ Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

The bibliography has been divided into five sections – a) United States government resources, b) government websites of Latin American and Caribbean countries, c) data, statistics, and statistical resources from Latin American and Caribbean government resources, d) international, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations, and e) libraries and academic resources. The focus of the first section is U.S. government resources available from several government information websites. The second section lists the government websites of the various Latin American and Caribbean countries. The third section comprises data and statistical resources from the Latin American and Caribbean Government Agencies. Section four lists IGO/NGO resources for Latin American and Caribbean countries. The last section concentrates on libraries and academic institution resources on Latin America and the Caribbean.

I. U.S. Government Resources

Central Intelligence Agency. “National Intelligence Council (NIC) Geographic Sub-collection: Latin America.”
The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States government gathers intelligence information related to American national security. The Electronic Reading Room of the agency provides access to the National Intelligence Collection (NIC) that can be searched by geography, function/theme, product/publication type. A search by geography gives the user an option browse all the documents in the Latin American collection (1940-2000). There is also an option to search within this collection.

Library of Congress. “Portals to the World: Selected Internet Sources for Iberia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.”
http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/hispanic/countries/countries.html
The Library of Congress’ Portals to the World lists selected Internet for Iberia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The countries are organized in alphabetical order. When the user clicks on a specific country, information resources are further categorized under broad themes such as, general resources, education, religion, government, history, media, etc. This website is maintained by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress.

National Security Archive, The George Washington University. “Electronic Briefing Books: Latin America.”
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/index.html#Latin%20America
The National Security Archive research institute and library is situated at the George Washington University. This archive gathers and publishes declassified government information. These documents are organized by subject areas. Latin America is one of the subjects and several documents pertaining to crucial issues can be accessed by clicking on the title of the individual documents.

Open CRS Network: Congressional Research Reports for the People. “Latin America.”
http://opencrs.com/search.php?cx=016765887464200141800%3A4mnbvxpbgx8&cof=FORID%3A11&q=%22latin+america%22&sa=Go#1069
The Center for Democracy and Technology’s project, Open CRS Network, is an attempt to make available to the public the Congressional Research Service Reports published by the Congressional Research Services, which is a think tank/ research division of the United States Congress. A search for “Latin America” or “Caribbean” would bring up several research reports that focus on important issues related to these regions. Reports are available in PDF format.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID). “Latin America and the Caribbean.”
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/latin_america_caribbean/
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) administers humanitarian and financial assistance to countries around the world. The agency aims to further U.S. foreign policy interests by promoting democracy, financial growth, and global health. The section on Latin America and the Caribbean provides links to country and regional profiles, key issues, democracy, environment, trade, press room, and economic and social database. New publications and feature stories on Latin America and the Caribbean are also available on this page.

United States Department of State, “Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.”
http://www.state.gov/p/wha/
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs. Information on this organized by topic, country, publication type, speakers, and date. Information on the Bureau of Western Hemisphere can be accessed from this website and it is in charge of promoting US interests in this region. Country-specific information and regional topics are provided on the left side of the page.

United States Department of State, “Country Reports on Terrorism.”
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs. This website also offers access to country specific reports on terrorism prepared every year by the Secretary of the State and submitted to the US Congress. These reports are listed according to years in descending order. Latin American and Caribbean country reports are also included.

United States Department of State. “Country Reports on Human Rights.”
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs. Country Reports on Human Rights issues of the different countries in the world focus on human rights are listed according to year in descending order. These are prepared by the State Department to be submitted every year to the US Congress. Latin American and Caribbean country reports are also included.

United States Department of State. “Chile Declassification Project- FBI.”
http://foia.state.gov/SearchColls/FBI.asp
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs. Declassified documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) related to Chile from 1968-1991 are available via this page.

United States Department of State. “Church Report: Covert Action in Chile 1963-1973.”
http://foia.state.gov/Reports/ChurchReport.asp#C.%20The%201970%20Election
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs.
Declassified documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) related to Church Report: Covert Action in Chile from 1963 to 1973 are available for public access.

United States Department of State. “Declassified State Department & Other Agency Documents,”
http://foia.state.gov/SearchColls/CollsSearch.asp
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs. Declassified documents collections from the State Department and other agencies are available for public access via this page, which also includes important information on Latin America and the Caribbean countries.

United States Department of State. “Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952-1954: Guatemala.”
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/ike/guat/#
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs.

United States Department of State. “Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963 Volume XI: Cuban Missile Crisis and Aftermath.” http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/frusXI/index.html
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs.

United States Department of State. “Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963 Volume XII: American Republics.”
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/kennedyjf/xii/
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs.

United States Department of State. “Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968 Volume XXXI: South and Central America; Mexico.”
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/johnsonlb/xxxi/
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs.

United States Department of State. “Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968 Volume XXXII: Dominican Republic; Cuba; Haiti; Guyana.” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/johnsonlb/xxxii/
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs.

United States Department of State. “Hinchey Report: CIS Activities in Chile.”
http://foia.state.gov/Reports/HincheyReport.asp#toc
The Department of State manages the foreign affairs and diplomatic relations of the United States. This website is maintained by the Office of Electronic Information of the Bureau of Public Affairs. The Hinchey Report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) focuses on the CIA activities in Chile during the 1970s.

United States Department of the Treasury. “Office of Foreign Assets Control: Cuba Sanctions.”
http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/cuba/cuba.shtml
The United States Department of the Treasury manages revenue of the American government. Information on a wide variety of topics is available for public access. The Office of the Foreign Assets Control is in charge of managing and implementing economic and trade sanctions on other countries. This page shows information related to US sanctions against Cuba.

United States Government Printing Office: Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. “Latin America.”
http://catalog.gpo.gov/F?func=find-b&find_code=WRD&request=latin+america
The U.S. Government Printing Office The Catalog of US Government Publications (CGP) is useful for locating federal government publications both historical and current. Where online access is available, links are provided. Users can search using keywords, title, author, or subject.

II. Governments of Latin American and Caribbean Countries

This section lists the government websites of several Latin American and Caribbean countries. These websites provides information related to the government and political systems of these countries. They also focus on various issues such as agriculture, education, communication, health, transportation, finance and industry, culture, tourism, economy and business, government ministries and agencies, etc. Links are also provided for additional resources. Citizens, residents, and tourists will find this information useful. While some countries provide information in English and the national/native languages, others do not offer any information in any other languages except for the native ones.

III. Data, Census, and Statistics from Latin American and Caribbean Government Resources

This section provides links to data and statistical information resources that are freely available from the Latin American and Caribbean government resources. The focus is on topics such as trade and industry, consumer price index, demographics, environment, education, health, economy, business, labor, tourism, crime, etc. While some governments offer both interactive maps and detailed data, others offer only data. The data and statistics are mostly available for free and can be downloaded easily. Faculty, students, and independent researchers will find these resources extremely helpful for their research.

Government of Venezuela. “Instituto Nacional de Estadistica: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela.”
http://www.ine.gov.ve/

IV. International/IGO/NGO/Other Resources

This segment provides links to international, intergovernmental, and non-governmental information resources for Latin America and the Caribbean.

American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI). “AEI’s Latin American Outlook Series.”
http://www.aei.org/outlooksBinder?page=1&bid=100002
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI), a non-profit institution, publishes information related to social welfare, politics, government, and economics. One of the institute’s publications is the Latin American Outlook Series. All the issues are available online.

Association of Caribbean States (ACS). “Projects Developed by the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).”
http://www.acs-aec.org/projects/projects.htm
The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) was formed in 1994 to further regional cooperation in the Caribbean region both for economic purposes and environmental preservation. Detailed information on various projects undertaken by the association is available on the association’s website. Documents are available in Spanish, French, and English.

Bank Information Center (BiC). “Latin America.”
http://www.bicusa.org/en/Region.4.aspx
The Bank Information Center (BiC), a non works closely with civil society in various developing countries to advance economic and social justice and environmental sustainability. This page provides information specific to Latin American countries.

Brookings Institution. “Projects: Latin America Initiative.”
http://www.brookings.edu/projects/latin-america.aspx
The Brookings Institution is a non-profit public policy organization located in Washington, DC. The Latin America Initiative page offers crucial information on political and economic issues of Latin America.

Center for International Policy (CIP). “Americas Program.”
http://americas.irc-online.org/
The Center for International Policy’s Americas Program focuses on issues such as trade and economic integration, sustainable development, U.S.-Latin America relations, immigration, communication rights, and citizen action.

Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). “Americas.”
http://www.cfr.org/region/210/americas.html
The Council on Foreign Relations is an excellent resource for learning about important international issues. It is an independent organization that advances understanding of American foreign policy and the role of the US in the world. Content can be browsed by region, issue, and publication type. There are numerous articles, reports, and other publications on Latin America and the Caribbean.

Eldis: Institute of Development Studies (IDS). “Country Profiles: Latin America and Caribbean.”
http://www.eldis.org/go/country-profiles&region=26
Eldis is one of the services provided by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). This gateway offers free access to more than 26,000 full-text documents and also individual country profiles. The Latin American and Caribbean page focuses on development issues related to the countries in this region.

European Commission External Relations. “European Union (EU) and Latin America.”
http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/la/index_en.htm
The European Commission’s EU and Latin America page provides detailed information on the relations between the European Union and Latin America.. It also highlights EU strategy for the Latin American countries. Links to fact sheets, related documents, and other pertinent information are also available.

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. “Countries: Specialized Country Profiles and Information Systems.”
http://www.fao.org/corp/countries/en/
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations’ “Specialized Country Profiles and Information Systems” page. Information for individual Latin American and Caribbean countries can be accessed via the drop-down menu located on the right side of the page.

Hudson Institute’s Latin American Studies. “Center for Latin American Studies.”
http://las.hudson.org/
The Hudson Institute is policy research organization that concentrates on global affairs. Their Center for Latin American Studies publishes several articles and reports on crucial strategic, cultural, economic and social issues of the region.

Human Development Reports United Nations Development Programme. “Human Development Report Country Information.”
http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/
The United Nations Development Programme publishes the Human Development Reports for all the countries in the world. Users can access and browse reports related to Latin America and the Caribbean. Country fact sheets are listed both alphabetically and by region.

Latin American Working Group (LAWG). “Annual Reports.”
http://www.lawg.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=48
The Latin American Working Group is a coalition that is devoted to the discussion of foreign policy issues as they relate to Latin America. Information about their campaigns and action center is available. They also publish several reports on U.S.-Latin America relations. These are available in PDF format.

Inter-American Development Bank. “Countries.”
http://www.iadb.org/countries/
The Inter-American Development Bank was organized in 1959 to promote social and economic development in Latin America. The bank is the main source of financial support for countries in this region. Country-specific information is available. Information is organized by topics. The website also provides data and publications and news.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “Information by Country: Latin America and the Caribbean.”
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/latinamerica.html
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) of the United Nations provides information on children’s rights in various countries of the world. Country-specific information for Latin America and the Caribbean can be accessed online.

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). “Americas and the Caribbean.”
http://www.unifem.org/worldwide/americas_caribbean.php
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) of the United Nations provides information on women’s rights. Country specific information is available for Latin America and the Caribbean. Issues covered include human rights, violence against women, health, etc.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). “Latin America & the Caribbean.” http://www.undp.org/latinamerica/
United Nations Development Programme’s “Latin America & the Caribbean” page covers information related to poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, democratic governance, energy and environment, and crisis prevention and recovery. Links to country office sites are also listed on the right side of the page.

United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). “Portada de la CEPAL.”
http://www.eclac.cl/default.asp?idioma=IN
United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) covers economic issues related to the region. Information can be accessed in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Links to documents, statistical information, and numerous publications are provided on this website.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). “Latin America & the Caribbean.”
http://www.unfpa.org/worldwide/lac.html
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) of the United Nations concentrates on promotion of rights of human beings to equal opportunity and health. A link to the regional portal for Latin America and the Caribbean is provided that includes information on regional programs, initiatives, and publications.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “Latin America & the Caribbean.”
http://portal.unesco.org/geography/en/ev.php-URL_ID=2316&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
The aim of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is to encourage international cooperation among its members in the areas of science, education, communication and culture. The “Latin America & the Caribbean” page focuses on the activities of UNESCO in this region. Information on individual members of this region is also available.

World Bank. “Countries: Latin America & Caribbean.”
http://go.worldbank.org/F7T4DTVE20
The World Bank provides technical and economic help to developing nations in the world. The section on Latin America and the Caribbean includes an overview of region, data and statistics, publications and reports, development topics, and projects and programs. Several datasets are available for download.

V. Libraries and Academic Resources

Carter Center, Emory University. “Peace Programs: Americas Program.”
http://www.cartercenter.org/peace/americas/index.html
The Carter Center works in collaboration with Emory University focuses on issues such as conflict resolution, democracy and freedom, health, etc. The “Americas Program” page focuses on Carter Center’s activities to promote peace in the Western Hemisphere. This page provides information on country-specific activities, the challenges to democracy, anti-corruption efforts, etc.

Center for Latin American Studies: Georgetown University. “Political Database of the Americas.”
http://pdba.georgetown.edu/
The Political Database of the Americas is a project initiated by the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University to with other organizations to provide information on the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the Latin American and Caribbean countries, their political parties, electrical systems, civil society, democracy, and governance issues, and their indigenous population. Links to additional resources are also provided.

Center for Research Libraries. “Brazilian Government Document Digitization Project.” http://www.crl.edu/content.asp?l1=4&l2=18&l3=33
The Center for Research Libraries is an association formed by research universities, colleges, and independent libraries in North America. The aim is to acquire and preserve documents, newspapers journals, and kinds of resources both print and digital. This page provides access to digitized Brazilian government documents, mainly executive branch documents, from 1821 to 1993. More than 670,000 page images are available for online access.

Center for Research Libraries. “Latin American Microform Project (LAMP).”
http://www.crl.edu/areastudies/LAMP/
The Center for Research Libraries is an association formed by research universities, colleges, and independent libraries in North America. The aim is to acquire and preserve documents, newspapers journals, and kinds of resources both print and digital. The Latin American Microform Project is one of the projects undertaken by the CRL. Its goal is to obtain and maintain microfilm collections related to research on Latin America and these are available to the subscribers.

Center for Research Libraries. “Latin Americanist Research Resources Project.”
http://lanic.utexas.edu/larrp/
The Center for Research Libraries is an association formed by research universities, colleges, and independent libraries in North America. The aim is to acquire and preserve documents, newspapers journals, and kinds of resources both print and digital. The Latin Americanist Research Resources Project is group endeavor undertaken by North American and Latin American & Caribbean Libraries to facilitate access to research resources that are published from the region.

Latin America Network Information Center (LANIC), UT Austin. “Latin American Government Documents Archive (LAGDA)”.
http://archive-it.org/collections/176
Latin America Network Information Center (LANIC) from the University of Texas Austin provides links to electronic information resources on Latin America. The Latin American Government Documents Archive (LAGDA) provides access to around 300 government websites of eighteen Latin American and Caribbean countries. Apart from the government documents, video and audio recordings of the important Latin American and Caribbean leaders are available through this website.

Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC), UT Austin. “Latin America Network Information Center (LANIC), UT Austin.”
http://lanic.utexas.edu
Latin America Network Information Center (LANIC) from the University of Texas Austin provides links to electronic information resources on Latin America. This page is the main page that has information organized by countries and subjects. It offers users the option to search for information both by simple and advanced search in English, Spanish and Portuguese. This page also has a site map that lists countries, subjects from A to Z, and the latest digital initiatives in the field of Latin American Studies.

New Mexico State University Library. “Internet Resources for Latin America.”
http://lib.nmsu.edu/subject/bord/laguia/
New Mexico State University Library has an excellent compilation of Internet resources on Latin America.

University of Idaho Library. “Repositories of Primary Sources: Latin America and the Caribbean.”
http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/special-collections/latam.html
The University of Idaho Library’s Special Collections has separate page that lists several repositories of primary resources in Latin America and the Caribbean.

University of Miami Libraries: Digital Collections. “Cuban Heritage Collection.”
http://merrick.library.miami.edu/digitalprojects/chc.php
The University of Miami Libraries’ Cuban Heritage Collection provides access to several digitized letters, maps, photographs, and manuscripts. The digitized items are organized under seventeen collections which includes online access to over 5,000 photographs and 500 post cards published in Cuba.

University of Michigan Library: Documents Center. “Foreign Governments: Central and South America and the Caribbean.”
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/forcsa.html
The University of Michigan Library’s Documents Center lists links to Central and South American and Caribbean government websites.

University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. “Foreign Relations of the United States 1861-1958/1960: United States Department of State.”
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/FRUS
The University of Wisconsin has digitized the Foreign Relations of the United States Series from 1861-1958/1960. There are 373 volume sin this collection and these can be searched using keywords related to Latin American and Caribbean countries. The documents are available in PDF format.

Vanderbilt University. “The Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP).”
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/
Vanderbilt University’s Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) offers access to studies and publications and datasets on Latin American countries. The studies are organized by country and year and by theme. Datasets are only available to subscribers.